#birthdaycakegoals & My Baking Inspiration

I intended to do this as a Mother’s Day tribute… then to post it around my Birthday… but this year has got away from me, and it has only been this weekend while sorting through old photos that this post has been able to become a reality.

A lot of people ask me where I get my motivation to bake from and how I can be bothered to take the time necessary to make my creations look good. Well, the answer is simple: my Mum is my biggest baking inspiration, and I attribute much of my motivation to her exquisite birthday cake creations over the years which are a feast for the eyes as much as for the tastebuds.

While I agree that it’s the taste of the food that counts the most, I think we “eat with our eyes” (to borrow an old MasterChef cliché) and how food is presented really does matter, as it can enhance or detract from the whole experience. I also really enjoy the challenge and creativity involved in making my food look as good as I can and find it as, if not more, fulfilling than eating the end product!

Without further ado, I present to you a small selection of Mum’s finest cakes from my childhood, the very creations that inspired my love of baking (please excuse the 90s-00s photo quality):

Hand made figurines for my Peter Rabbit themed 4th Birthday party.

Bananas in Pyjamas cakes for my sister Laura’s 2nd Birthday

My gorgeous 1st Birthday cake with handmade flowers

A beautiful fairytale castle cake for Laura’s 4th Birthday

An Ariel cake for my mermaid-themed 5th Birthday party

A sleeping dragon cake for my magical 7th Birthday party

A Johnson cake (from Johnson and Friends) for my 3rd birthday

A ‘Forever Friends’ cake for Laura’s 5th Birthday

The cake for my 10th Birthday ten-pin bowling party

A Shirley Barber inspired fairy cake for my 6th Birthday party

A ‘Spot the Dog’ cake for Laura’s 1st Birthday

My 2nd Birthday cake

Laura’s 7th Birthday ballerina cake

Mum, you’re a superstar! Thank you for the all the incredible memories from my childhood and for putting so much effort in to make each and every birthday feel so special.